36 – APRIL 2020
Away – My Big WeekendFountain Porter
Regional beers,
a killer record collection,
and the finest $5
cheeseburger around.
Le Caveau
A dark, moody
spot pouring affordable
French natural wine.Ray’s Happy
Birthday Bar
A beer. And a shot. And
a cigarette in the
bar. Happy birthday!
Royal Izakaya
The Japanese whisky
and sake lists are
outdone only by karaage
chicken wings.McCusker’s Tavern
Cold beer close
to the stadiums—this
is not the place
to trash-talk the Birds.5 EXCELLENT
NEIGHBORHOOD
BARS
The Sandwich Artist
Ask a tourist what Philadelphia’s
best sandwich is and they’ll
say cheesesteak. Ask an Italian
from South Philly and they’ll say
Italian roast pork. Ask me and
I’ll clarify—John’s Roast Pork.
Its namesake has been made the
same way for the past 90 years:
by rubbing hardy herbs, salt,
garlic, and pepper all over pork
shoulder and then roasting,
refrigerating, skinning, slicing,
and throwing it into fatty pork
jus. The meat comes piled on
a sesame hoagie roll (only
Carangi’s) with garlicky spinach,
sharp provolone, and more jus.The Indonesian Icon
If you’re not eating at a strip
mall off Washington Avenue,
you’d better turn around and do
it again. And while you’re at it,
make your destination Sky Cafe.
Chef Lily Tjia brings traditional
Indonesian dishes you’ll want
to order aggressively: luscious
house-made pork sausage
wrapped in crispy soy skin,
lontong sayur (rice cakes with
vegetable curry, spicy eggs,
and beef rendang, coconut-milk-
braised beef), and stinky beans
(known as sator beans) that, yes,
live up to their name.lies Lancaster County, which has
the most fertile nonirrigated (read
naturally water efficient) farmland
in the nation. Chef Randy Rucker
highlights all those pristine
ingredients on the constantly
changing menu: raw bay scallops
topped with fermented beech
mushrooms and umami-laden
sunchoke miso, Pennsylvania
lettuces tossed with tangy grape
vinegar and horseradish, and
an off-menu smash burger that
just might be the city’s best.The Vietnamese
Soup Star
The bun bo Hue—spicy beef soup
with rice noodles, basil, bean
sprouts, and lime wedges—at
Café Diem is the stuff of legend
in Little Saigon. This vibrant
neighborhood within South Philly
is filled with Vietnamese bakeries,
banh mi shops, and pho counters,
but this tiny family-run noodle
shop is always packed for a
reason: that bun bo Hue.
The broth is loud with herbal
lemongrass, assertive chiles, and
funky shrimp paste. But there are
quieter soups too, like pho ga
(chicken-based pho) or hu tieu
(thin rice noodles with shrimp and
pork in a savory pork-and-dried-
squid broth).The Hottest Thai Spot
Life seems boring after eating
at Kalaya. Colors are duller.
Smells that aren’t chile or fish
sauce aren’t even worth inhaling.
That’s because the food at
chef Nok Suntaranon’s homey
southern Thai restaurant is
absolutely exhilarating. Her
dishes—passed down from her
mother and grandmother—bring
an unapologetic spice-powered
breath of fresh air. I’m talking
about laab ped (spicy ground
duck salad with chiles, fried
shallots, and lime leaves), goong
aob woon sen (baked shrimp
with glass noodles and long hots,
an ingredient South Philly Italians
know and love), and rainbow-
hued salads brimming with bright
crunchy vegetables. It’s BYOB,
so bring a six-pack of something
light and cold. You’ll need it.
The Farm-to-Table
Stunner
I usually roll my eyes at the
phrase New American cuisine
(the ultimate cliché). But I don’t
at River Twice, where New
American translates to not only
serving beautiful produce-driven
dishes but supporting one of
our country’s great farming
communities. Just west of Philly ILLUSTRATION BY SUPERFREAK. FOR DETAILS, SEE SOURCEBOOK.
Som tum for the soul at Kalaya John’s Roast Pork, a landmark in itself